THE EFFECT OF HAND AND BACK MASSAGE ON PAIN, SLEEP AND SELF-CARE IN WOMEN UNDERGOING HYSTERECTOMY

Postoperative incision pain is an acute pain that begins with the stimulation of neuroreceptors from surgical trauma and usually resolves within a few days. Today, the physiology of acute pain is better understood and new approaches to pain management are emerging. However, studies conducted in recent years have reported that postoperative pain management is inadequate, and therefore approximately 50-80% of patients still experience moderate to severe pain

Self-care is the realization of health activities to maintain one's health, life and well-being (14). Self-care power is at different levels in each person and perceptual, cognitive, interpersonal and psychomotor characteristics are needed for an effective self-care power to be formed. Therefore, self-care power varies according to the ability and health status of the individual (12). According to Orem, the development and maintenance of health are the results to be obtained through self-care. Orem's theory also "values personal responsibility for health and indicates that nursing services may have a key role in prevention and health education". Since self-care is a learnable behavior, nurses can encourage and support people's self-care efforts and increase the individual's participation by providing health education (12). When the literature is examined, there are a limited number of studies examining the effect of back massage on pain in women undergoing hysterectomy surgery. There are studies examining the effect of reiki on pain in different fields (13,14). Pain is a condition that affects all dimensions of the individual including biophysiologic, psychological, sociocultural and political-economic. Although analgesics are indispensable to alleviate postoperative pain, undesirable effects may occur when overused. Therefore, nurses' use of non-drug methods in addition to pharmacologic methods will increase the effectiveness of pharmacologic methods (15). Pharmacology